


the stained tomorrow shines

by Laora



Series: Bring Down the Sky [3]
Category: Gundam 00
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:09:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28305837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laora/pseuds/Laora
Summary: Amy's getting married, and Neil's over the moon for her.Also, Lyle questions his brother's life choices.
Relationships: Allelujah Haptism/Marie Parfacy, Amy Dylandy/OC, Lyle Dylandy/Anew Returner, Neil Dylandy/Tieria Erde
Series: Bring Down the Sky [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2065887
Comments: 13
Kudos: 17





	the stained tomorrow shines

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FabHawk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FabHawk/gifts).



> Holy shit I can't believe I got this out on time sldkfjasodkfjalsd I wrote this in like 4 hours
> 
> the premise of Bring Down the Sky is that Neil gets a second chance, stops the bombing and saves his family, and things play out from there. This is an AU, in that Neil AND Lyle both got that second chance (mostly for the lulz), and it's set shortly after season 2
> 
> seriously there is no plot to this, it just makes me really happy and it made hawk happy when i blurbed about it in our gc last week soooooo merry christmas hawk!!!
> 
> OC is Natasha Peterson, Amy's fiancee - [this is what she looks like](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uPnsTl3m_gZBrwbtWhc59swwWDmJwsIN/view?usp=sharing)

Oh, _god,_ Amy’s getting married.

Neil’s hands are shaking as he signs off from the video call, a giddy smile on his face as he glances around his empty cabin. Amy’s beaming face, her girlfriend— _fiancee_ —sitting next to her with one arm thrown around her shoulders...the image is burned into his mind, and he finds his smile’s only growing wider as he levers himself up from his bed.

He’s only met Nat a couple of times, but he knows she’s good people. After Fallen Angels, she dropped everything to stay with his family, when they thought he was dead and they were falling apart at the seams; she put him through the wringer, when he eventually showed up on the front porch with a stack of Christmas presents and an apologetic grin.

That was the first time they met—and she hadn’t hesitated to rip him a new one for making Amy cry. Their relationship’s only improved, over the last five years, and the whole family knows the wedding was more of an inevitability than anything else.

Amy showed him her ring, over the grainy video, and Nat held up her matching one at Amy’s insistence—and knowing that something is inevitable doesn’t mean that he can’t be unreasonably excited about it.

Amy’s twenty-six, and Amy’s _getting married,_ when in his last life she never lived past her eleventh birthday. It’s been so long since he was given this second chance, but—he’s never stopped being amazed at the changes. His sister, his parents—even Lyle, who remembers that last life just as well as Neil, and has been just as desperate to fix it—they’re _vibrant_ and _alive,_ and the world feels maybe just a little brighter than it did, before.

Fifteen years ago, he never would have fooled himself, thinking that Celestial Being’s goal was actually feasible. Now, he’s more than willing to throw his life into the cause, because he believes in it just as much as his friends do.

(A world with Amy in it, after all, is a world worth saving—and though the nightmares still haunt him, decades on, he is not so broken, anymore, that he cannot recognize that all the other Amys of this world deserve a fighting chance, too.)

He shoves shaking fingers into his eyes, trying to focus. He needs to—he needs to go bother several people, and beg Miss Sumeragi for time off, and—and oh _god,_ he needs to get fitted for a tux at some point, and they’re in orbit now so next time they’re on Earth he’ll need to—

 _Fuck,_ he’s getting ahead of himself, except Amy’s getting married, and his brain is mush in the euphoria and excitement because he has always, _always_ been impossibly proud of his baby sister, but this—this is—

* * *

It’s been years since Allelujah met the Dylandys, but that weekend he spent at their house is rendered in sharp clarity in his mind.

He and Lockon had Earth leave at the same time, and they’d been talking about religion on the flight down. And Lockon had pointed out that it was Easter, that weekend: the greatest holiday for his family’s religion—and asked whether Allelujah would like to come and visit.

“I don’t want to intrude,” he had argued, half-heartedly, and he has never been so glad to be strong-armed into an adventure anyway. He knows what parents and siblings _are,_ obviously, but he’s never known them himself—and at first, Lockon’s family was overwhelming to him. His _identical twin,_ (clone, his brain supplied at first, except this is a peaceful civilian family that had never even heard of the SHI—) who grinned at Allelujah too familiarly. His _little sister,_ who roped him into playing video games with her all Saturday, and was absolutely delighted when he beat her. His mother, who was happy to talk to him about Christianity and God for hours, when Lockon eventually bowed out for his own agnosticism. His father, who was patient with him when he was clumsy in the kitchen, intent on paying them back _somehow,_ while probably only making it worse.

At first they were overwhelming simply by their presence, but they were nothing but kind all weekend—guided him through Easter Mass at their church, and fed him more food than he’s ever seen in his life, and—

And it has been more than six years since he met them, but he remembers them in startling clarity anyway. But they’re not even on the fringes of his mind, tonight; he’s in the mess hall with Marie, eating a leisurely dinner and content in each other’s silence. Then, Lockon appears in the doorway, his face alight in more excitement than Allelujah has ever seen. He grins at the both of them in the fond way he’s taken to before coasting toward their table and plopping down next to him.

“So…” he starts with, that grin still in place as he looks between them conspiratorially. “What are you guys doing next June?”

It’s August. Allelujah blinks at him—they all know that the three of them could very well be dead ten months from now. “I don’t know,” he says eventually, hoping Lockon will elaborate, since Marie looks just as lost as he is.

Lockon’s grin, somehow, grows wider. “Great!” he says. “So, do you remember my sister Amy? From when you came to visit—”

“Of course I remember her,” he blurts, and then flushes. “Is she okay?”

He laughs. “She’s better than okay,” he says, and whatever worry was starting to form in Allelujah’s mind dissipates just as quickly. “She’s getting married, and she asked if you wanted to come to Ireland for it.”

Allelujah—freezes. He bluescreens. He’s not entirely sure that he’s breathing, even, until Marie reaches out to grab his hand. “What?” he croaks, eventually, and Lockon laughs at him.

“You left a good impression, apparently,” he says. “And it’s no pressure, but—I promised her I’d ask you, is all. And of course you can come too,” he adds, nodding to Marie. “It’s not a wedding without a date, right?”

Marie doesn’t seem to know what to say to this, either, and Lockon’s face softens. “It’ll just be a big party,” he says. “Amy and Nat, they’re great for each other, y’know? I don’t want you to feel pressured, but...I think she’d really appreciate it if you could come.”

Allelujah squeezes Marie’s hand, just a little. “Neither of us have been to a wedding before,” he says, slowly, and Lockon throws an arm around his shoulder.

“This’ll give you plenty of practice, then,” he says with a conspiratorial grin. “Gotta make sure you know what you’re doing before you throw your own, right?”

.

.

* * *

.

.

Lyle answers the door, ten months later.

Amy’s upstairs with their mom, making some minor adjustments to her dress. Nat’s been banned from the house since the dress got delivered (to much grumbling from all parties), and his dad’s at work, so he’s been delegated to concierge for the time being. He knows it’s probably another present delivery, or—if they’re very lucky—it’s Neil, arriving on time from his international flight, almost a week before the ceremony.

He knows very well that Celestial Being’s schedule could change on a dime, though, so he hasn’t been getting his hopes up. Even if the conflicts have died down, now that the A-Laws are gone. Even if Neil swore up and down to them that he’d pull every string on the ship to be here, if necessary. Lyle and the rest of the family have long learned not to expect Neil for anything if they can help it.

Which means it’s a pleasant surprise, this morning, when he opens the door to his brother’s beaming face.

“Holy shit, should I buy a lottery ticket?” he asks, half-joking, pulling him into a tight hug and slapping him on the back for a moment before pulling away with a grin of his own.

“I promised, y’know,” Neil says, almost offended, but steps over the threshold after Lyle all the same, waving his small entourage in behind him. Lyle blinks, focusing on them for the first time, to see—

Excellent, Allelujah was able to make it. He’s just as adorable with Marie as Lyle remembers, standing close at her side as he stares around the front hall. The house hasn’t changed all that much since he visited, but he’s treating it like hallowed ground anyway, holding the stack of presents carefully in his arms as he follows Neil inside.

Inexplicably, Tieria Erde follows behind him, his arms crossed over his chest but his eyes sharp as always behind those ridiculous glasses. Lyle _really_ wants to question this—first of all, _how_ did Neil convince him to come down to Earth for a wedding, and second of all, _why—_ but then Anew files in at the end of the line, her smile soft as always as she looks at Lyle, and every other thought flies right out of his head as he reaches to pull her into a hug, pressing his lips to hers.

She’s alive, here. She’s not going anywhere, not with Ribbons long dead and Veda well in hand on the Ptolemy. But it’s been months since he’s seen her, on his last rendezvous between Katharon and Celestial Being, and he thinks he can be excused this when her dying screams still echo through his nightmares.

“Oi, get a room,” Neil calls, half-joking, and Lyle pulls away from Anew, not letting go of her hand as he turns to his brother.

“Hey, just because you’re the only Dylandy without a partner—”

Neil’s smile grows wider, and Lyle opens his mouth to ask why—but then Amy comes darting down the stairs in a bathrobe, her hair half-styled and her eyes bright as she sees the small crowd in the hall. “You made it!” she crows, all but launching herself at Neil, and he laughs, catching her and spinning her around like they’re kids again.

“I promised, didn’t I?” he says, eventually setting her down and pulling her into a proper hug. “I wouldn’t miss your wedding for _anything—”_

Allelujah’s hesitating against the wall as they talk, still holding half a dozen boxes in his arms and looking unsure as he stares around at everyone. Lyle takes pity on him, grabbing his elbow and leading him to the living room where they’re storing wedding presents. “It’s great to see you guys,” he says with a smile, as Marie and Anew follow behind. “Amy was really excited, when Neil said you were coming.”

Allelujah nods, looking a little lost, as he sets the stack down reverently beside the rest. “Thank you for inviting us,” he says. “We’ve—um, we’ve never been to a wedding before, so please tell us if we do anything wrong—”

“You can’t do a wedding _wrong,”_ Lyle argues, tilting his head with a frown. “You’re here to celebrate Amy and Nat, right? All you have to do is attend the ceremony, and then go to the party afterward and eat good food. _God,_ Nat’s mom makes the _best_ cookies, and she’s making the cake too—it’d be worth it to go to the reception _just_ for her baking. You’ll be fine.”

“I haven’t been to a wedding either,” Anew offers with a smile, putting a hand on Marie’s shoulder for a moment. “I’m sure we’ll figure it out together.”

Marie smiles back, some of the tension leaving her shoulders, and with that Allelujah relaxes, too. “We’ve got the two of you set up in the office,” Lyle continues, mentally going through their rapidly diminishing space, even in their parents’ huge house. “Anew’ll stay with me, and Neil will have his room, but—” But, oh shit, Tieria’s the wild card, here, and they’re all out of spare rooms with their grandparents in town, and Tieria is _not_ the person to whom you want to admit to being underprepared. He squeezes his eyes shut for a moment. “We’ll—well, we’ll figure out Tieria somehow, I guess.” Just as soon as he figures out why the _hell_ he’s here in the first place.

Marie blinks at him, hesitance in her face, but Lyle doesn’t see—already turned back toward the hall, where voices are starting to filter closer as everyone heads toward the living room. Amy leads Neil in by the hand, all smiles as she asks to be introduced to the unfamiliar faces; Tieria and their mom follow close behind. His arms are still crossed, and he stays close to Neil as everyone arranges themselves across the furniture and the floor.

“So that’s Anew, Lyle’s girlfriend,” Neil points out to Amy once they’re settled, and Lyle grins, holding Anew closer on the loveseat as Amy beams at them. Anew blushes a little, waving. “She works up in space with us, but we’ll see how long that lasts, yeah? Should we start planning another wedding here, soon?”

Now it’s Lyle’s turn to flush. “Figured Allelujah would jump on that first,” he manages, a couple seconds too late, but it has the desired effect—Amy turns to him with bright eyes, asking who his friend is.

“This is Marie,” he says, in the almost reverent tone he uses every time he talks about her. “We’ve...well, we’ve known each other since we were children.”

“Are you dating?” Amy asks with a grin, leaning forward, and Allelujah somehow flushes a deeper shade of red. Marie’s blushing, too, but she’s the one who nods—and Amy’s all but starry eyed as she grins at them, looking between their faces, their clasped hands, the way they’re sitting close to each other on the floor.

Yeah, even Lyle knows they’re adorable, and with Amy’s hopeless romantic heart, he knows she’s halfway through planning their wedding already, too.

Neil’s grinning now, too, saying something to egg them on—but Lyle doesn’t hear, because he’s looking at the spot he’s secured for himself on the couch. It’s nothing too weird—the middle seat he’s liked, ever since they were kids, and on one side is Amy but on the other side—

Tieria’s still straight-backed as always, though he’s moved his hands to his lap and he’s following the conversation closely as Amy chats with Allelujah and Marie. But—but there’s a good foot and a half of distance between Neil and Amy, but only a couple inches at best on his other side. Lyle would never _dream_ of sitting that close to Tieria. But then his brother leans back, familiar, into the couch cushions, shifting even closer, and he _throws an arm across the back of the couch_ , and then Tieria sits back a bit into the cushion—

And _oh god,_ this cannot be happening. This— _no,_ absolutely not—

He’s made a noise, apparently, because Tieria’s sharp gaze is on him, now, and Neil’s looking at him in something like concern. “What’s up?” he asks, loud enough to be heard over Amy’s spirited rendition of how she proposed to Nat to a rapt Allelujah. And the whole room’s looking at him, now, except Neil’s arm is still around Tieria’s shoulders, and—

“You have got to be _fucking_ kidding me,” he croaks, eventually, desperate, and his mom frowns at him—”This cannot be happening right now—”

Neil’s frown only grows more concerned, and Amy tries to follow his gaze, craning around on the couch to look at Tieria. “What’s wrong?” she asks after another moment, un-twisting to stare at Lyle with concern in her eyes.

“You are _not dating_ Tieria Erde,” he demands of his brother, and Amy’s brows fly up as she twists again to stare at Neil. And—and his cheeks are turning a brilliant shade of red, but he’s _grinning_ at Lyle, and he must make another noise because Anew’s pulling him closer against her side, now.

“Can’t say that—Mum didn’t raise a liar,” Neil says cheerfully, and then he—oh _god,_ he pulls Tieria more firmly against his side, and Tieria doesn’t so much as twitch in protest. The world is ending. The entire universe is about to invert, because—because sure, Neil and Lyle will both look twice at men, that isn’t the issue, but— _Tieria?_ The guy who’s had an entire tree up his ass for the entire time Lyle’s known him? The guy who’s all but married to a supercomputer already—?

“Since when?” Amy demands, her eyes wide, and Tieria huffs as Neil laughs.

“Ehh, it’s complicated,” he says, wiggling his free hand, and Lyle might actually be sick. “We’ve worked together for...god, ten years now? But we first went out to dinner just a couple months ago.”

Lyle is still working on the concept of Tieria being a romantic creature, and is completely unprepared for the idea of Neil _taking Tieria out to dinner._ “What,” he rasps, eventually, and Neil laughs at him.

“And anyway, it’s not like I can come to a wedding without a plus-one,” he points out, turning back to Amy. “Can’t have _both_ my siblings showing me up, right?”

This is really—that’s beside _several_ of the points that Lyle feels he needs to make, but his voice is dying in his throat, and then Anew and Allelujah are laughing at him, too, and Marie’s watching Neil and Tieria fondly, and—and _oh, god._ This is real, isn’t it?

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Tieria says to Amy and their mum, sounding _almost_ friendly, and—yeah, Lyle’s out of here.

Neil laughs at him as he bolts up the stairs and locks himself in his room.

* * *

So, yeah, Amy didn’t know _either_ of her brothers were seeing anyone, but she’s happy for them! The love on Lyle’s face is clear every time he’s within twenty feet of Anew, and—and she still feels like she’s figuring Tieria out, but based on Lyle’s spluttering explanation when she cornered him, later…

He’s good for Neil, if the look on their brother’s face is anything to go by. And if what Lyle’s saying is true, Neil’s good for him, too. And, after all, Amy’s outgoing and cheerful and good at making friends. Even if Tieria’s unsure and uncomfortable here, she’s pretty sure she can fix that quickly.

Nat’s finally allowed over, when Amy’s dress is locked in her parents’ closet under literal lock and key. She lets herself in, hollering across the house that she’s here, and Amy goes to greet her with a kiss and a grin as she pulls her by the hand into the kitchen.

“So this is Nat,” she announces to the room at large, since the kitchen contains Allelujah, Marie, and Anew right now. “Nat, this is Allelujah, I told you about him—and Marie’s his girlfriend. And Anew is seeing Lyle.”

Nat’s brows rise high on her forehead, but she smiles at them all and thanks them for coming, and Allelujah—bless his heart—ducks his head and blushes and thanks them for inviting them, in turn.

Amy guesses they still have a way to go on breaking him down, even with Neil working with him full-time in space. At least, she thinks, Tieria’s a different kind of puzzle to figure out. Keeps things interesting, right?

Nat gets introduced to Tieria eventually, too, when they’re sitting down for lunch—and her skepticism is even more clear as she stares, in particular, at his hair. Neil grins at her as he introduces them, and Nat’s frowning, just a little, and Amy’s worried enough that she corners Nat as soon as they get a moment alone that afternoon.

“Everything okay?” she asks with a frown. “You were giving them some pretty weird looks over lunch, yeah?”

“Oh, yeah, everything’s fine!” Nat says instantly, laughing a little. “I was just trying to figure out whether I should dye my hair purple, too. Since you Dylandys seem so taken with it, and all.”

Amy blinks, and then her cheeks are all but on fire. Her furious denials are drowned out by Nat’s pealing laughter as she walks back toward their guests in the living room.


End file.
